Rafael Nadal will play today the penultimate event of his legendary career at The Six Kings Slam semifinal, an exhibition held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and in which he will face his young countryman Carlos Alcaraz.
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In an interview with DAZN, the 22-time Slam champion talkedabout the rivalry between Carlitos and Jannik Sinner; a dualism that should excite fans in the coming years. Rivalries have always been fundamental in the world of sports, just think - speaking of tennis - of the impact that those between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi and Roger Federer with Novak Djokovic and Rafa himself had.
Nadal, who will say goodbye to tennis at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, thinks it is useless to make comparisons with the Big 3 especially because Alcaraz and Sinner must have time to build their own history without further pressure.
"They are doing great things. They are still very young and have already achieved incredible goals by winning Grand Slam tournaments and Masters 1000. Carlos and Jannik are doing special things. I hope they continue on this path. They are already big stars and I am sure that, without injuries, they will build a great career.
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We have to wait and see what kind of rivalry it will be, but already this year they have divided the Grand Slam tournaments and occupy the first and second position in the world rankings. They are writing their history and it is not the time to make comparisons. Novak is still playing, I am about to retire and Roger has stopped. It is part of the sport, now there is a new generation and we must give these guys time to write their own history. They do not need to be compared to us," he explained.
Rafa also reflected on his rivalry with Roge and Nole. Rivalries that brought millions of fans closer to our beloved sport and gave birth to what is called the golden age of tennis.
"It's been a while since I played. It's exciting to play against my colleagues and some great players, so I'm really looking forward to it. Novak and I have played so many times. It's always been a great challenge, an incredible rivalry. He's a player who has always pushed me to the limit and I think he thinks the same about me. The two of us, together with Federer, have pushed each other to the next level. When you have such strong rivals, you always have to improve to continue competing at that level.
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I enjoyed all the duels. That's the best thing about sports: always having clear goals to always do better. Having rivals like that helps you build an even clearer perspective on how you have to act. With Roger it was special, but also with Novak I've always had a great relationship. We understood that it's a sport, in life there are much more important things. In the end, if you have a good relationship with your colleagues and with the people around you, you're happy. Tennis is a game," he analyzed.
